Their joint returns are sure to be impactful.
And I’d spoken with her about it and she sort of pitched me the idea.
We spoke to the producers about it.
And it had to make sense because the character died in the other show.
That sometimes has happened before.
But I think it’s a really beautiful scene and the way they did it I really enjoyed.
I can say that it’s just Lori and I with no one else around or in the scene.
And I can tease that there’s some tears.
I won’t tell you if it’s from her or me.
That’s very fair.
What did you like most about working with Lori?
Well, I’ve worked with a lot of actors over the years.
Lori and I worked together for five years, and we became close during that time.
We really got to know each other as friends and as people.
… She treats everyone on set and in life as well, just with kindness and respect.
She does her stuff and then that’s it.
And next scene’s up.
I really admire her as an actor.
It was great working with her.
What he loves about playing Jack Thornton
Absolutely.
It’s like riding a bike, mate.
We know each other so well.
And I think the outcome is beautiful.
But it’s just fun.
It’s really fun working with your mates.
And going back to Jack, what is your favorite part about playing Jack?
It’s not the character so much these days.
I really knew him, how he was, how he would react in a situation.
And you fall in love with your characters.
And acting’s all about responding anyway.
That was always just exciting for me.
And just walking on set.
And still speaking on Jack, might viewers see Jack in a new light in the special?
Yeah, I think you will.
You’ll see him as you’ve never seen him before.
Are you able to say anything about that?
No, let’s just leave it at that.
Okay, I love that, though.
That’s very intriguing.
It’s not something I’ve pursued.
I’ve just did a Christmas movie as well.
This character and this audience has been prevalent in my career to date.
So, it came up.
Who does what programming, this and that.
And I really liked the idea.
I came off a show that was a lot.
[I played a] Navy SEAL and that was a great show called “Last Resort.”
And I just wanted to do something different after that.
And Jack came along and “When Calls the Heart” came along and … Yeah.
I like the idea of doing something different.
I like the idea of working with horses and doing something more period.
I like the idea of playing a man of duty in uniform at that time in a small town.
I like the romance element of it.
I wasn’t the male lead, and Scott Speedman and Andre Braugher [had] that honor.
And this was an opportunity for me to carry a show as a male lead.
And I thought, “Okay, great.
I’m going to sink my teeth into this and see what comes of it.”
And I thought, “Great if it does a season.
Great if it does two.
I’ll get that experience.”
I mean, it’s still going.
Season 9 is about to air, I believe.
You pursue that, you have your goals, whatever happens, happens.
And then you got your life stuff as well, so you got to find that balance there.
Daniel Lissing opens up about filming one ‘vulnerable’ scene
Yeah.
I mean, youwereon for five seasons!
Do you have a favorite episode of the show?
Oh, that’s a real tough one.
I have favorite scenes.
There’s been certain scenes that have stuck with me the wedding, really like that scene.
It was a tough day as well.
That morning, I’d found out that my grandfather had just passed.
We were very close in Australia.
And the support of Neill [Fearnley] and Erin Krakow.
She’s just great, mate.
She really is just a very kind, loving person.
I was lucky to work with such women like that.
Lori and her were just, they’re just amazing women.
So she was there for me, and that stood out.
That was an acting challenge to have to deal with that.
And that was having to steel yourself and then be there.
And they do what they do in the edit.
Yeah, I can imagine.
It’s amazing that you had such a strong support system during such a hard time too.
I think it’s important.
Sometimes you have that with your fellow workmates and other times you don’t.
You’re professional, you do your job.
So it was fantastic, mate.
I will never forget that journey.
On my social media I get every day more and more posts of those two characters.
Did you ever imagine that this character and this show would have such a strong fan reception?
Whenever you do a project, you hope for it, but I’ve done a lot of shows.
And also, the web link, what time slot they put it in?
There’s so many factors to a show being successful that I don’t have the recipe.
If anyone had the recipe for that, then we’d have nothing but hit shows.
Daniel Lissing on having chemistry with his costars
Yeah, exactly.
So you never quite know what’s going to connect with audience or pop.
There’s a massive market for that that was lacking when this show came out.
You had your Christmas movies here and there, but you didn’t really have any serialized family-friendly programming.
So that was a very smart move.
There’s a huge audience for it.
So, at the end of the day, that’s all it’s about.
So I was happy to be on a successful show.
Yeah, and it was successful.
And those relationships you mentioned on set, those translated on screen as well.
And I think that’s part of the reason why people connected to it so much too.
If you really dislike someone, for whatever reason, it also translates.
Because there’s that energy there.
It’s the middle there.
It’s like not in here, nor there, that maybe it’s like, “Whatever.”
So it’s the extremes that I think translate quite well on screen.
I’ve never hated anyone, but maybe people have hated me.
And you brought up your recent Christmas movie, “A Christmas Star.”
What can you tell us about your character in that film?
It’s streaming on Amazon Prime now, and it is being rerun on GAC Family.
I’m not sure exactly the dates of that, but check it out.
You’ll find it.
I just watched it actually.
And it’s exactly what you expect.
A perfectly cheesy Christmas movie at this time of year full of sweet story lines and nice characters.
I enjoyed watching the performances.
I got on really well with everyone on set.
I spent a tremendous time shooting this one.
And I just really enjoy the work.
That for me is just what it’s all about.
It’s why I’m here.
It’s just about the enjoyment factor of doing the job.
Otherwise I’d do something else.
It’s not like there’s other things in life to do, so … but yeah.
I love this character.
I think he’s great.
I think I did as good a job as you might do.
It was like a real, “Hey, we need you on set tomorrow.
Do you want do this Christmas movie for …” I was like, “Yeah.”
And I actually rocked up on set and I hadn’t even read the script.
And I was like, “Do you?
Let’s do it.”
As if I was going to say no.
No, that’s the first time that I’ve been unprepared.
I think preparation is key for everything.
I can just sink my teeth in and do what I want to do with the character.
I didn’t know how to pitch it.
So I just played it real straight and it worked.
So what has your experience been working in this genre?
It’s unbelievable how fast they shoot these.
There’s a formula to these kind of Christmas movies that you know what you’re going to get.
There’s a basic premise that audiences have come to know and love.
Is it my jot down of programming personally?
That’s my job.
Just play it as real as you possibly can.
And speaking of your roles, what is your favorite role outside of Jack?
That’s a good one.
I made a short film.
I work with a partner, Mike Goode, and he and I have written a number of projects.
And we’ve made a couple of short films together as well.
We won a bunch of festivals with them, and I really like playing characters that I’ve created.
I think that gives me the most satisfaction as an artist.
So there’s a character named Nathan that we made a little short film called “The Answers.”
It’s on YouTube.
Thanks to [creators] Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek.
I had a FaceTime call for this, my first pilot and my first U.S. job.
I was like, “It’s happening?”
And I’d only been acting since the age of like 27 or something like that.
13 years ago I started.
I just got cast in the short film.
We hit it off.
And I was like, “I got the bug.
I want to be an actor.
I’m going to do this.”
He’s a producer on “Timeless,” “S.W.A.T.,” whatever.
He’s a prolific showrunner.
And I did the audition and he’s like, “So you want to move to Hawaii?”
And I was like, “Yeah.”
I was like running around with guns.
I was getting the girl.
I was saving the day.
I had all this torture and torment.
I got to work with real Navy SEALs.
I got to do fight scenes.
And I was working in Hawaii.
It’s a no-brainer.
That was just such a fun, amazing role.
We did 13 episodes of that.
Comparatively, to today’s numbers because of DVR, just when DVR came in, was killing it.
But I don’t think the networks really knew how to measure success.
So the industry landscape was really changing.
And I think that was just one of the shows that suffered because of that.
It was just that timing.
But honestly, mate, that was a really fun.
And that’s what started all here in the States.
So I’m grateful to those guys, and I’m grateful for that role.
That experience sounds like a dream, honestly.
It was a dream, mate.
It was just a dream job.
It was just amazing.
Earlier you mentioned your goals for the next 10 years.
Are you willing to or able to talk about any of those goals?
I think it’s important to just keep it and just do it.
And then I’ll let you know in 10 years if I achieve them.
Well, I did a little recurring role in a Fox drama, shooting in Albuquerque.
That’s called “The Cleaning Lady.”
I think that comes to air early next year.
I just did a couple of episodes of that.
So, that’ll be coming up.
I played a drug dealer on that, a bit of a bad boy.
That’s the one that’s coming to air.
So I’m writing it with a little team I’ve put to together.
We’re going to develop that and we’re going to start pitching it out there.
And everyone’s got content.
I just put my head down to the …
I’ve got two-film contract with them.
So I’ll do this one, write that one.
I’m not sure what the next one will be.
[I’m] auditioning as well.
So I have a bit quiet time this year.
Now the holidays are kicked in, December and January tend to be pretty chill.
But I did an audition yesterday for a show shooting next February.
So we’ll see.
It’s the auditioning thing, man.
I’ve been rejected more times than you could possibly imagine.
So, many mes out there and whatever.
It’s so many factors that go into it that are just far beyond the acting.
I mean the acting is like, whatever.
You do your good job.
There’s a million good actors out there.
So, you just keep plugging away if you love it.
And that’s it.
